Czech PM survives fourth no-confidence motion despite $45M Bitcoin donation controversy

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s Civic Democratic Party (CZ:ODS) survived a fourth attempt to topple their government in three years,(1) passing a no-confidence motion brought by opposition parties ANO, Social Democrats (CZ:SPD) and the Pirates (CZ:ÚČS) over a BTC donation received by the Ministry of Justice from a convicted felon.

BTC donation by convicted felon

The scandal centers around a 1 billion Czech koruna ($45 million) Bitcoin donation made to the Ministry of Justice on May 27,(2) authorized by a court ruling, from Tomáš Jiřikovský, a man previously convicted of drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and embezzlement.

Jiřikovský offered the Ministry of Justice approximately a third of his crypto wallet — 1,561 BTC — as a donation.(3)

Tech expert Jiří Berger (CZ:CZ: Tech expert Jiří Berger), who was present when Jiřikovský opened the 1,561 BTC wallet, confirmed that an additional ~3,855.15 BTC controlled by Jiřikovský elsewhere remains inaccessible due to technical limitations.(3)

No-confidence vote and aftermath

The no-confidence vote received only 94 parliamentary votes, falling short by seven of the required 101.(2) The motion passed after more than 24 hours of debate reported by České Noviny.(2)

No-confidence votes target a government’s ability to govern effectively.(2)

Facing defeat, Prime Minister Fiala acknowledged governance errors but attributed the opposition’s main objective to mud slinging.(4)

Máme za sebou další hlasování o nedůvěře vládě. Dopadlo podle očekávání a vláda hlasování ustála.
Opozice schůji využila jako vždy – k házení špíny, k urážkám a ke lžím. pic.twitter.com/ogUqhLeizZ

In response, former Justice Minister Pavel Blažek resigned on May 30.(5) Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura faces growing calls for his resignation amid suggestions he had prior knowledge of the donation.(5)

New Justice Minister promises investigation

Eva Decroix, sworn in as the new Minister of Justice on June 10 by Czech President Petr Pavel,(5) pledged to order an independent investigation.(5) Under her leadership, the Ministry will cooperate fully in the donation case’s probe.(5)

Part of growing global concern

While Fiala’s government remains in place following the vote,(2) the incident compounds concerns about officials engaging in potentially ethically questionable crypto activities.(2)

Earlier this year,(6) similar controversies arose involving US President Donald Trump’s potential crypto profits and Argentine President Javier Milei’s role in a Libra token inquiry.(1)